Highlight of the Opening Ceremony for the 104th FAI General Conference held this year in Dublin, the 2010 FAI Awards Ceremony celebrated yesterday night an array of air sports personalities and entities from all over the world.

With bestowing awards, the FAI aims to honour and recognise all those who have significantly contributed to aeronautics and astronautics, especially to sporting aviation.

Awardees are selected following a rigorous process, at the end of which Vice Presidents are invited to decide on nominations for FAI General Awards, and the plenaries of FAI Commissions on nominations for FAI Awards for individual disciplines.

The attending recipients of diplomas and medals, presented with their prestigious awards by FAI President Pierre Portmann, included:

Honorary Group Diploma This diploma is awarded to groups of people that have contributed significantly to the progress of Aeronautics or Astronautics. - Safeskies Australia (AUS) - Polish Ministry of Sports and Tourism (POL) - Fondación Aérea de la comunidad Valenciana (ESP)

Leon Biancotto Aerobatics Diploma This diploma is awarded to individuals or organisations that have contributed significantly to the sport of aerobatics. - British Aerobatic Association (GBR)

Ann Welch Diploma This diploma is awarded to the pilot or crew of a Microlight who made the most meritorious flight which results in a Microlight World Record Claim ratified in the calendar year preceding the CIMA Meeting. - Armin Appel (GER)

Gold Rotorcraft Medal This medal rewards a particularly remarkable achievement in rotorcraft including use as a sporting vehicle, or eminent services to the development of rotorcraft over an extended period of time. - Guenter Zimmer (GER) - posthumous

Lilienthal Gliding Medal The diploma is awarded for a particularly remarkable gliding performance, or eminent services to gliding, to a currently active glider pilot. - Ross McIntyre (NZL)

Diploma for Outstanding Airmanship This diploma is awarded to a person or a group of persons for a feat of outstanding airmanship in sub-orbital flight during one of the previous two years which resulted in the saving of life of others or was carried out with that objective. - Moon Seop Ohn (KOR) - posthumous - Germano Alvares Da Silva (GBR) - posthumous

Silver Medal This medal is awarded to persons who have occupied high office in FAI or in an aeronautical organisation in one of its member countries, and in the discharge of their duties have shown exceptional powers of leadership and influence, to the benefit of the whole international air sport community. - Henk Meertens (AUS)

In total, 77 medals and diplomas were rewarded for 2009. Click here to know more about the FAI awards.